Top Ten Heaviest Metal Bands

metalmaster
This list is not a list of the "best" metal bands, but the "heaviest" metal bands. This is the best of the "heavy" ones. The "ingredients" used include: Quality of music, style, skill, and how well you can bang your head to it.

The Top Ten

1SlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. They rose to fame with their 1986 album Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the big four of thrash metal bands, the others being Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. ...read more.

Metallica is great but has nothing close to slayer in terms of heaviness.

2Cannibal CorpseCannibal Corpse is a American death metal band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1988. The band is known for their graphic album covers, explicitly violent lyrics and song titles like "I C** Blood" The group got into mainstream after performing the song "Hammer Smashed Face" in the 1994 film Ace Ventura: ...read more.

Cannibal Corpse is the most hardcore, aggressive, and kick ass band I have ever heard. I enjoy many of the bands above but they are no where near as hardcore as Cannibal Corpse. This is one of the rare bands you find that can sound like they do. Bands like bring me the horizon and peirce the veil do not even need to be close in the ranking, as they are not hardcore, and are not the best bands out there. This band knows how to scream and make riffs, unlike so many other bands

Cannibal corpse and lamb of god are the only ones that should be on this list. It clearly says heaviest not thrash metal whitechapel or black dahlia murder come to mind

Listen to scourge of iron, The wretched spawn, Murder worship, or submerged in boiling flesh. CC is just brutal

3MetallicaMetallica is an American Thrash Metal band formed in 1981 . The original lineup was James Hetfield (Vocalist and Rhythm guitarist), Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Ron McGovney (Bassist). The group came into mainstream from their Self-Titled album and the hit single "Enter Sandman". ...read more.

Music in general is very subjective. It is all about the person listening the song etc. But briefly to the point: Metallica, within their time as categorized as "heavy metal" the band made their Black/Metallica album. It is, and still is very, very heavy, to the sound, feel and how it is performed.Yes, it was produced very well. It has many good songs, even so good that they could be thought to be made as simply in purpose of making money... or just to make sure that future kids have some tunes to play to their chicks.

Sad But True is a good example of very heavy song as musically. There are much, faster, slower, deeper, lover - what so ever bands/songs there. I would love to challenge Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth and Moonspell to make a cover song of Ozzy's Mr. Crowley... Oh wait... They are "heavier", why shouldn't/couldn't they make cover of Enter Sandman? - They could, but they don't want to?

In the end, we can go back in the history towards the great classical ...more

Their first 4 albums are kinda heavy, but they don't belong anywhere near the top 10. The people that think Metallica is the heaviest must not listen to a lot of metal. Bands like Cattle Decapitation, Pig Destroyer, Abominable Putridity, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Dying Fetus, Behemoth, Ingested, and Deicide are 1000x heavier than Metallica. If you think they should be #1, listen to bands that belong to the following genres: Grindcore, Deathgrind, Death Metal, Slam Death Metal, Black Metal, or anything associated with those genres. They aren't even the heaviest thrash band. Kreator, Slayer, Sodom, Ghoul, and Skeletonwitch are a lot heavier - ryanrimmel

Seriously have you even listened to for whom the bells tolls, fight fire with fire, disposable heroes, blackened, call of ktulu? How can anyone say Metallica aren't heavy, back in the 80's they where the heaviest around along with slayer. Heaviness has nothing to do with drop tuned guitars or growled vocals and Metallica are proof of that

Ride the lightning, black album, mop and...and justice for all are really heavy its amazing and they have a lot of underrated songs

4BehemothBehemoth is a Polish blackened death metal band from Gdańsk, formed in 1991. They are considered to have played an important role in establishing the Polish extreme metal underground.

Come on guys, this list is not bout voting for yer favorite band.. My favorite metal band is lamb of god and pantera and not to mention I'm not a very big fan of behemoth but I have to agree their music are extremely heavy take slaves shall serve for example, the song itself sounded like it want to kill you

Behemoth are one of my favourite bands. This list is basically all the well known bands. I haven't even seen nile on the list and behemoth/nile are so much heavier. And the people who voted deathcore bands like BMTH are posers who don't know real metal

Have you already heard "Slave Shall Serve"? "He Who Breeds Pestilence" maybe? No? Then go and check most heavy band in existence. Sure - there is more mainstream stuff like "Cannibal Corpse" or more 8th empty string 0-0-0-0-0 like "Meshuggah", but this one is true hell, and in artistic way also.

5NileNile is an American technical death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, United States, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and ancient art, as well as the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

This is a popularity contest. Nile is way heavier than all these other 9 bands, Cannibal Corpse deserves to be on the list, not the other 8. Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Mortician, Malevolent Creation, Suffocation, Carcass, Beheaded, Morbid Angel. All those bands should be here. Not those other bands that are mentioned. People just don't know what heavy is or they are completely uneducated when it comes heavy music

Annihilate the wicked on this page. Nile is amazing band who really understand technical death metal. Enough said and those who think a musically oblivious 8th graded is voting well I am musically smart 9th grader

Only one band in the top 10 is death metal and that's cannibal corpse lamb of god aren't death metal their heavy thrash someone just listen to kafir and then you will know what heavy means

6PanteraPantera was an American Heavy Metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul. The band started out as a Glam Metal act in the 1980s with little success. After discarding their original lead vocalist and enlisting Phil Anselmo, the band signed a major record deal with ...read more.

Heavy? Walk. Hollow.

This list is actually a measure of band popularity and public familiarity.It is certainly not a list of heaviest.

For ultra heavy bands see:Born Of Osiris, Electric Wizard, Bongripper, Admiral Angry, Candlemass, Gorguts, Nile, Job For A Cowboy, Dethklok, The whole genre of djent with Animals as leaders and Periphery are super heavy, also Pentagram and the Doom genre are slow and brutal.

I could go all day listing heavier bands than these classics and popular bands.

Heaviness is available in all tempos, slow and fast and mid tempo, and the techniques and sounds involved are different. I love Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer, and yet also how the younger bands have pushed the envelope.

And anyone who thinks Maiden or Metallica or LoG are heavier than Slayer listen to Reign In Blood, Seasons in the Abyss, God hates us all, and Crionics personally is better than fight fire with fire.

Yeah, pantera is heavier then lamb of god and slayer and why is metallica on this list - tonses

Although the list is messed up, pantera would definitely be the heaviest of the bands mentioned in the top 10. Listen to 5 minutes alone, god that song is heavy! One of the heaviest riffs ever made in the history of metal, no song I have heard can match up to the heaviness of this song. And trust me, I listen to a lot of metal.

7MeshuggahMeshuggah is a Swedish progressive metal band from Umeå, formed in 1987. They are credited with crafting the Djent subgenre. Meshuggah's line-up consists of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, rhythm guitarist Mårten ...read more.

Meshuggah is by far one of the heaviest bands today. The 8 string guitars and the quick off beat drums just add that special sound that makes you want to punch whatever is closest to you.

"Bleed" is not their heaviest. Listen to any of their other songs. Meshuggah is easily the most intense, heaviest band on this list. They are completely underrated.

Not only is Meshuggah's tone and overall vibe by far the heaviest on this list, their lyrics push the bar to a whole new level of dark poetry. There couldn't be a stronger juxtaposition between the whiny, insipid lyrics of many "core" bands splattered with unnecessary F-shots, and the rich imagery and hellishly uncanny lyricism found in Meshuggah.

Bleed is the heaviest thing I have ever heard, I agree as a whole cannibal corpse should be number 1 but I personally have never heard any song heavier than bleed so they get my vote.

8DeathDeath was an American Death Metal band formed in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner. Death is considered to be one of the most influential bands in heavy metal and a pioneering force in death metal. Its debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as the first death metal record, while the band's ...read more.

Some people don't know the definition of heavy. Were talking chunky riffs, layered raw sounds, relentless tempo, growling vocals and technicality here. not popular bands and certainly not fcking nu metal!

Sad to see that so many people are on this list pretending to be metal heads. Real metal heads know good and well that there are heavier bands then Slayer... and for those who voted for Cannibal Corpse and Death, you know how much heavier they are... good on you! - ThatoneMetalhead

Listen to "Denial Of Life","Leprosy",feel the heaviness. - GREYBOYY

They set the standard for heavy at the same time Metallica was thrashing just because they're not as big doesn't mean they aren't infinitely more brutal

Just like Death. Being Death metal they out-heavy most other metal bands.

9Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The most critically acclaimed period for the band was from 1983-1989. With vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, lead guitarist Dave Murray, rhythm guitarist Adrian ...read more.

WE ARE TALKING HEAVY! IRON MAIDEN IS MELODIC AND NOT HEAVY! You people (except for who put on the top 4) Are idiots. This is a problem.

10Lamb Of God Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler.

If someone is calling Metallica a heavy metal band then its sure you haven't listen to true death metals.Come on I like Metallica too but it's a list of heavy metal so you shouldn't consider Metallica in the list at all. Where are the Thrash metals, death metals, black metals!

This is the list of "Heaviest" metal bands. That means the list should be based solely off who has the most intense sound. All bands on this list play great music, but Lamb of God has the heaviest sound, without a doubt.

I love Black Sabbath. With that said, no other band besides Meshuggah should be on this list with Lamb of God. The first Slipknot album was decent, Metallica isn't half bad, and I do enjoy Pantera. Cannibal Corpse is a total joke, so there's that. The rest, I can totally do without. Especially on a "Heaviest Bands" list. Seriously, what.

The hilarious thing about this list is that the bands that dominate the top are all THRASH metal. Death metal is heavier than thrash in pretty much every way!

The Newcomers

?Vildhjarta

All you really need to do is listen to Dagger, Shadow, and All These Feelings by them. Sure they may sound "Meshuggah-ee" but they themselves have their own style that's worth a good listen. - Polska-Russkiy

The Contenders

11Infant Annihilator

Heavier than any band on this list.

Laugh out loud 3 words: torn from the womb

Pinned down and fisted. You don't even have to listen to them to know that they are heavy

Slayer is number one

Nah b

Def not

I think slayer is probably better in most ways but this is heaviness - Ethansics

12Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Megadeth was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, shortly after Mustaine was fired from Metallica. They have released 15 studio albums to date, and have gone through many lineup changes, with Dave ...read more.

13Cattle DecapitationCattle Decapitation is an American Deathgrind band from San Diego, California formed in 1996. Cattle Decapitation's songs protest the mistreatment and consumption of animals, the abuse of the environment and touch subjects such as misanthropy and genocide of the human race. Much of their music is based ...read more.

Makes Metallica look like One Direction.

Honestly, when people think that Slipknot is heavier than Cattle Decapitation, they do not deserve to be called metalheads. This band has it all. Lyrics with an actual meaning (not just melodramatic, pseudo-angry nonsense), mean riffs, insane drumming, and by far the most diverse vocalist in all of modern metal.

14Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were a Heavy Metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1968 by guitarist and songwriter Tony Iommi, Singer Ozzy Osbourne, Bassist and Main Lyricist Geezer Butler and Drummer Bill Ward. The band got into mainstream after improving after their debut album got negative feedback. In 1978, ...read more.

It seems that people have voted to their favorite bands instead of Heavy ones, compare Black Sabbath with Electric Wizard, which one is heavier? Of course Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath=not heavy at all, not every Heavy Metal band is "Heavy", know the difference. - GREYBOYY

If you think the almighty Sabbath is go heavy, hear me out. See, there is a song by Black Sabbath that is called Black Sabbath on the album Black Sabbath. Now, this song's riff uses the diminished 5th, also known as the augmented 4th. Now, this interval sounds so evil that in medieval times, it was forbidden for it was believed do summon the Devil himself. The lyrical content describes Satan and the end of the world. Sure, metal can get faster, lower, and louder, but it sure as hell doesn't get HEAVIER.

Heavier is categorized by being lower and louder. While speed doesn't really matter, almost EVERY METAL BAND at this point is heavier than Black Sabbath. Bands are never like "Oh no, we can never be heavier than Black Sabbath! " Granted, while their first album is relatively heavy, the Slayer fans have more knowledge of metal than whoever voted for Black Sabbath. - ThatoneMetalhead

Really Avenged before "Sabbath and The Priest"? What the hell is wrong with you people?

If it wasn't for Black Sabbath there wouldn't be any Heavy Metal at all.

15DecapitatedDecapitated is a Polish technical death metal band formed in Krosno in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski, bassist Paweł Pasek, and drummer Michał Łysejko.

This list is a joke. Cannibal Corpse is the only heavy band at top ten. Check the remix that I made of this and you will see the real heaviest metal bands... - SamTheDestroyer

Very technical, fast and heavy death/groove metal band. If you think Cannibal Corpse is either too gruesome for you or your a Meshuggah and Slipknot fan you'll easily get into these guys. System of a Down is hard rock and CoF is mall core. What's next, Bathory being heaviest on this list? I hope not.

GOD DAMN. Decapitated is heavy as all hell. Just check out Winds Of Creation.

16Dying FetusDying Fetus is an American death metal band originally from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their consistently hook-laden song structures, characterized by blast beats, complex riffing, slam riffs and heavy breakdowns.

Powerful drums, speed, low tuning, brutal vocals. Dying Fetus is the definition of heavy. This should be number one on the list without a doubt. - Azerix

17Separatist

I kid you not...these guys should be in the top ten...like seriously why are bands like slipknot, iron maiden and Metallica high up on this list? No hate to them but this list is for the HEAVIEST bands. "Isolation" by separatist is one of their songs that prove they are worth being put at a higher rank on this list. - Vortexeo

True my metal brother stay rocking

18Motorhead Motörhead were an English heavy metal/Hard Rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister, who was the sole constant member; guitarist and songwriter Larry Wallis; and drummer Lucas Fox. The band's harsh vocals and fast paced tempos helped inspire speed ...read more.

Just like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Metallica. Motorhead doesn't belong anywhere near the top 20 in regards to heaviness

Lemmy would SMITE these emo-metal bands down with sheer power of his bass playing hand, and yet alone melt their souls with his voice.

Q: Who would win in a wrestling match, Lemmy? Or God?

A: Trick question, Lemmy IS God!

I'm confused when classic metal bands like Motorhead are below 10. Motorhead are a brilliant band!